Connection 911

"You should've backed your phone up." If I heard that once this week I heard it 20 times. Everyone thinks it won't happen to them, but in the blink of an eye your seemingly normal day comes to a screeching hault. You lose your ability to communicate, be connected, and find out answers to the pressing questions of the moment. You lose photos of recent events; vacations, concerts, and family outings, as well as any recently added contacts. Even if you are the responsible tech user who backs up on the regular, chances are if your phone crashes you will lose something. As you can guess, this recently happened to me... My phone died. I mean completely died. Connection 911!

We all want to believe that we are a person who doesn't need to rely on a device. But in the moment you realize you're without that lifeline, complete hopelessness takes over. And after excersizing all of your techie tricks to no avail, you admit defeat and realize you are alone. Not to sound dramatic, but it's true. You can't use a landline to call anyone because you don't have your trusty contact list. It literally takes a minute to regroup and problem solve the situation. 

I was without a phone for exactly ten hours. That ten hours was brutal. I went from a fully functional professional and mother to a irrational mess. With each new realization about something I couldn't do, came a greater sense of helplessness. I realized that I couldn't get ahold of my own children who were with friends for the day. (Do you know your kids' cell numbers by memory?) I realized that I'd better know where I was going because Google Maps wasn't a thing for me. I realized my work communication response time was delayed. (I'm better than that.) And the absence of social media...Don't even get me started. 

Yeah, we all want to believe that we don't need to rely on a device to function. But the truth is, we've grown accustom to having the ability to communicate and connect at anytime. We've grown accustom  to having information at our fingertips. If I'm forty and the need for connectivity is engrained that much in me, then imagine how our kids feel. After all, this has been their way of life from the beginning. 

So the next time you encounter someone with a Connection 911, be understanding of their situation. And what ever you do, refrain from saying, "You should've backed your phone up".